Nick Lodolo’s resurgence is quietly becoming the Reds lifeline without Hunter Greene

The Cincinnati Reds' rotation has been through the wringer ever since Hunter Greene went down in spring training. What seemed like it should be a strength has become a weakness for the most part. In addition to the loss of Greene, a big reason for the struggles has been Nick Lodolo. First, there was his elongated battle with a blister, which delayed his season and left the Reds desperately short.

Then there was Lodolo's uncharacteristic performance upon his return. His early-season struggles, in conjunction with Andrew Abbott's poor performance for much of the early going and Brady Singer falling apart, made things feel even more precarious despite Chase Burns' brilliance.

Cincinnati desperately needs someone to step up behind Burns, and Lodolo's most recent start against the New York Mets gives rise to the idea that he might be the key to making that happen.

Nick Lodolo's strong start could be key to getting the Reds' rotation on track

Lodolo entered his May 25 start against the New York Mets with a ghastly 7.20 ERA. The southpaw had some clear issues that needed to be worked out, which all traced back to some spotty command. Through those first three starts, he allowed four home runs, with at least one per start. He also walked nine batters against just 11 strikeouts, which came out to a way-too-high 5.40 BB/9.

But against the Mets, Lodolo began to clean up some of those problems. He threw six strong innings, allowing just one earned run in the process. The seven strikeouts he recorded were a season high, and most importantly, they were complemented by no walks.

"He hit their leadoff guy with two breaking balls that he threw behind him. But other than that, he worked ahead, he threw a lot of strikes, he spun, he had good velocity, threw some changeups. That was really well done," Terry Francona said after Lodolo's most recent start.

Tito's assessment was spot on. Lodolo hit Carson Benge twice, but both instances were on breaking balls that slipped out of his hand rather than some sort of serious control issue. The lone run he gave up came on a home run, leaving something for us to monitor moving forward.

Lodolo was ranked as one of the game's top pitchers during spring training by The Athletic, ranking ahead of Abbott, making him a suitable replacement for Greene atop the rotation. It hadn't looked that way over his first three starts, but this most recent outing makes it seem as if that early scuffle was simply him shaking off the rust.

Big picture, that's fantastic news for the Reds. Burns, with his 1.96 ERA, has filled Greene's shoes, and if Lodolo springboards off this last outing, he'll join him as a second ace atop the rotation. Add in Abbott getting back on track with a 1.29 ERA over his last five starts, and things are starting to look like how Cincinnati envisioned coming into spring training.

Greene's July return date has not changed, and should serve as a pseudo impact trade deadline addition. Soon, fans could see the version of Cincinnati's rotation that they thought they'd compete for the title of best in the league, and a lot of it starts with the signs of getting back on track that Lodolo just showed us.

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